


The Prince and the Frog

by BelovedBoy



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: M/M, The Princess and the Frog AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-20
Updated: 2018-02-24
Packaged: 2018-09-25 23:37:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9852074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BelovedBoy/pseuds/BelovedBoy
Summary: Poor Keith has been dreaming of opening his own restaurant since he was a kid. This dream was encouraged by his parents until the day of their death. Now he is 25 years old and working hard to raise money for his restaurant. However when a talking frog claiming to be Prince Lance of Spain stumbles into his life opening his own restaurant seems to be the least of his problems.





	1. The Prince and the Frog

**Author's Note:**

> I know this is short but bear with me! This is the prologue and another chapter will be posted tomorrow.

"Alright you two, settle down or I won’t read you the story," threatened Mrs. Kogane. Allura immediately sat down in front of her and tugged on Keith's sleeve. 

"Come on Keith sit down! I want to hear the story," she urged. Keith rolled his eyes but sat down in front of his mother. Allura flashed him a happy smile then focused her attention on Mrs. Kogane. 

Mrs. Kogane smiled and opened up the book, _'Once upon a time there was beautiful prince who lived in a far away kingdom._

 _The prince's family was very very wealthy and because of this, he grew up to be a spoiled prince._

_One day the prince was out horseback riding in the woods when he meet a fragile old lady. The lady said to the prince,_ **Hello young man. I seem to have lost my way, would you be so kind as to give me a ride to the nearest town?**

_The prince may have been spoiled, but he wasn't necessarily a cruel man. So, begrudgingly, he helped the old lady onto his saddle._

_As they rode, the prince became more and more uncomfortable. The saddle was only built to comfortably fit one person. After a few more minutes of gritting his teeth the prince finally pulled on the horse's reins. The lady looked at him and spoke._ **What seems to be the problem ?**

 _The prince clenched his jaw and replied,_ **This saddle was built for only one person. I want you to walk the rest of the way to the town.**

 _The old lady looked at the prince and tried to convince the prince to get off of the saddle for she was not as strong as she once was._

_But the prince, being extremely spoiled, refused to move from his place on the saddle._

**I am a prince!** _he insisted_ **You have to listen to me and I order you to get off this instant ! Or else my father , the king, will hear of this.**

_So the old lady obliged and carefully dismounted the horse. When she was on the ground, the prince scoffed haughtily and started heading towards the town again. With a quick flick of her hand a small mouse ran out in front of the horse. Startled, the horse reared accidentally throwing the prince into the mud._

_The prince sat up and looked at his once gleaming robes which were now covered in mud. He looked up at the old lady who walked slowly toward him._ **You- you did this didn’t you !? You're a witch, h-how dare you !**

_Unrepentant, the old lady began to weave a spell that would change this prince’s life forever. With each word she spoke, the forest became silent and the wind began to howl. Her eyes glowed a beautiful gold and she emitted a faint glow._

_The wind picked up the prince and held him before her. She stared deep into his soul with her golden eyes and spoke:_ **Because of your selfishness, you will have to be punished**

 _The wind howled even louder but still did not drown out her words._ **You will be stuck in this form until you learn to be selfless and gain a kind heart.**

_It was then that the prince noticed he had been turned into a frog. He tried to let out a shout but all that came out was a croak. Finally the wind quieted and he was dropped onto the ground. The witch walked towards him and chuckled quietly. Without any words, she left and vanished into the shadows._

_After that the prince spent many days wandering in the forest learning to adjust and how to find food._

_After a long time, he came upon another prince weeping. He was puzzled, because he hadn't seen a human since the witch had cursed him. So slowly the he made his way over to the weeping prince. When the other prince saw him, he sniffled._ **What am I going to do Mr. Frog ? I lost my most prized possession in this pond and after searching for hours, I still have not found it. A very dear friend gave it to me ...**

_Intrigued, the frog prince came closer. He croaked in surprise as the still weeping prince lifted him up._

**It was a very beautiful ring.** _The prince informed him still sniffling._ **Made of silver with pieces of emeralds embedded in it.**

_The frog prince looked out at the pond and saw something shining in the depths. A closer look revealed that it was in fact the weeping prince's ring. He considered diving into the pond to retrieve it but disregarded the thought almost immediately. It would take work to retrieve it. And for a stranger he had just barely met in the woods, it was a lot of work._

_The prince's eyes watered and for a moment he was unable to speak._ **T-that ring means a lot to me. I've had it since I was a kid**

_With that said, the prince burst into tears once more and the frog prince felt something stir in his heart. Something he had never felt before. It soon hit him that what he was feeling was sympathy. He too had lost something important to him and he had never found it. Now he was presented with an opportunity to help someone in a similar position and with that in mind, he leaped out of the weeping prince's hands and landed in the pond. Ignoring the other prince's cry of surprise, he swam steadily towards the ring. When he reached it, he grabbed it with his small hands and slowly made his way back to the prince who still sat there in surprise._

_Finally he reached the edge of the pond and carefully deposited the ring in front of the prince. He then sat on his hind legs and was filled with a sense of pride._

_The other prince let out a squeal of surprise and joy. He looked absolutely ecstatic, and the frog prince couldn’t help but well up with pride. The other prince carefully lifted the ring, wiped it dry, and placed it on his finger. He then picked up the frog prince and looked him in the eye. And with the utmost sincerity he said,_ **Thank you Mr. Frog, from the bottom of my heart: thank you.**

 _The frog prince merely croaked in response and without a word the other prince gave him a small kis-'_

"Wait a minute!" interrupted Keith. "You're telling me that the other prince kissed a frog!? That’s gross!" 

Mrs. Kogane simply smiled at her son as Allura snapped back at him, "Keith! The frog was a prince and a kiss would turn him back to normal, right, Mrs. Kogane?" 

"Yes Allura, you’re right, after the other prince kisses him, the frog prince turns back to normal," Mrs. Kogane replied. 

Keith frowned. "But he was a frog! Why would he kiss a frog, that’s gross. What happens after he turns back to normal, Mom?" 

"Well," she said as she opened the book again, "after the prince turns back to normal, he and the other prince get married and live happily ever after." 

"That doesn’t make any sense, Mom! Why would they get married they just met? Plus all he did was get a ring for the other prince, most people would do that, so it’s not romantic at all. Also the kiss broke the spell? I thought learning to be selfless was the key to breaking the curse, getting a ring from a pond for someone then getting a kiss from them isn’t learning to be selfless, it just doesn’t make sense!" he ranted, then looked at his mother expectantly waiting for an answer. 

Allura looked at him in shock and exclaimed, "Keith that’s not the point. It’s supposed to be romantic, and it is! Can’t you see? The frog prince was so moved by the other prince’s tears and words that he was finally selfless and he redeemed himself." 

Keith thought about that for a moment then argued back, "Then shouldn’t he have turned back when he gave the other prince the ring? I’m telling you Allura, it just doesn’t make sense!" 

Allura opened her mouth to reply when a calm voice interjected, "Now, now, you two, calm it down. There's no need to fight. Obviously, you two have very different interpretations of the story and that’s ok. Now run along, I have some work to do." 

Both children murmured and stood up to leave, but before he completely left the room, Keith whispered, "I still think it was dumb that the other prince kissed the frog and it was all fixed. The frog prince should have worked harder to be redeemed." 

Mrs. Kogane shot him a look and Keith scurried out of the room muttering his apologies.


	2. Life Is An Asshole

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One of our boys gets some good news. The other... well lets just say his luck isn't the best right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is where the story really gets moving, i hope you all enjoy it!

Five years later, Keith lost both his parents at the tender age of 15. And ten years after that, Keith and Allura were 25 years old, each with a very different dream. Keith wished to open up his own restaurant, a dream he had shared with his parents until they had passed away. Allura wished for a fairy tale romance, not needing much else considering her father was very rich. 

‘And Prince Lance McClain of Spain is the perfect person to give her that fairytale romance. His family is the royalty of Spain, but since Prince Lance refused to care about his kingdom and only cared about chasing after partners to warm his bed, he was cut off from the family fortune. Now he must marry a rich southern belle to maintain the lavish lifestyle he’s become accustomed to,' mused Zarkon sinisterly. 'I could use him to gain access to the fortune of the Altaen family. Soon the Alfor and his family will fall.' 

Zarkon smiled darkly and disappeared into the shadows as Prince Lance and his valet Sendak appeared from around the corner. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Keith!" exclaimed Allura joyfully. "Guess what!" 

Keith looked up from the counter, surprised, as he heard Allura shout. "What is it, Allura? You know you’re not supposed to bother me when I’m at work." 

Allura glanced around the small coffee shop where most of the customers stared at her. She grinned sheepishly and made her way closer to Keith. "Oops, I forgot. But this is really important! And it won’t take long, I promise." 

Keith sighed, but nodded his head to show he was listening. Her grin became even larger as she leaned in and said, "I managed to convince father to hire you as one of the caterers for the party we're holding for Prince Lance." 

Keith gasped and looked up at his childhood friend looking for any sign of untruthfulness in her gaze. All he found, however, was the true happiness Allura felt at the thought of helping out her friend. "It took some time, but after letting him try that pastry you made for him, he was sold. Plus since we know you personally, he agreed to pay you a *little* more so you could finally have enough to pay for the building you wanted for your restaurant!" 

At this point Keith wasn’t even pretending to work as he stared at Allura in absolute shock. Finally he managed to stutter out a weak, "Really?" 

She shook her head excitedly and threw her arms around him. Keith wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her back in absolute joy. "Allura, how could I ever pay you back for what you’ve done for me? You are truly the best friend I could ever ask for." 

"It was nothing Keith! After all, I still don’t understand why you don’t let us help you out. You know we have the money so it wouldn’t hurt us at all!" she chided. 

Keith stared down at his hands and replied with the same thing he always did when she mentioned it. "I want to _earn_ my restaurant Allura. Because otherwise, how could I ever face my parents headstones without feeling any shame?" 

Allura's face dropped slightly and she patted his arm comforting manner. Their small moment was broken when the manager of the cafe shouted, "Keith, get back to work!" 

Keith head jerked up and he shouted back, "Yes sir! Right away sir." 

He turned back to Allura and whispered another thank you before going back to cleaning. 

Allura smiled at him and left, which meant Keith was alone with his thoughts about finally being able to open up his restaurant, something he has wanted since he was little. A dream that he had shared with his parents. He clenched his fist and thought, 'Finally, my luck is turning around'. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On another side of New Orleans, Lance and Sendak were walking through the streets with no specific direction in mind. As he walked, Lance played his guitar and sung, winking at all the people who walked past him. Finally Sendak turned to him and said, "Sir? We really should look for a place to stay. It’s going to get late soon." 

Lance looked at him and scoffed. "Sendak relax~. I know what I'm doing." 

He winked at another passerby and Sendak gave him a look that clearly stated he didn't believe a word coming out of his mouth. "Lance, your father sent you here for a reason and-" 

Lance cut him off with a glare. He snapped at Sendak, clearly feeling offended, "I said I know what I’m doing." 

Sendak opened his mouth again when he suddenly noticed a man standing in front of them. Lance stopped short and Sendak ran into him. 

"Hello," purred the man in front of them. "How are you fine gentlemen doing today?" 

Lance smiled easily and replied, "Very well, how are you?" 

"Fine thank you." The man smiled a slightly feral smile. "Oh how rude of me, I haven’t introduced myself." 

He slid up towards Lance and shook his hand. "My name is Zarkon and my shop is full of voodoo that could change your world." 

Lance's smile grew wider. "I’m Prince Lance McClain of Spain. I would love to see this shop of yours." 

Sendak tried to open his mouth to protest, but before he could, Lance and himself were whisked away into Zarkon's shop. 

Once inside, Zarkon sat them down and offer to help them with their problems. "You see, I know exactly what’s ailing you and I also know how to fix it. Because _I’ve got friends on the other side._

Those seven words sent a slight chill down the two men’s backs, although both seemed to ignore it. Lance leaned in closely and listened to every word Zarkon said. 

"You, poor Lance, have been cut off from the family fortune, a punishment for not taking your princely duties seriously." He then leaned over to Sendak and whispered, "And you, poor poor Sendak, always being ordered around. But I can help with that." 

He stood up straight and moved around the room looking for a specific charm he said would help solve their problems. After a moment of searching he finally found it. "Aha! Here it is, the thing that will fix all your troubles." 

Lance and Sendak looked at a small pendant with a mace drawn on it. Lance laughed. "This is supposed to help us?" 

Zarkon nodded solemnly. "All it needs to work is blood. Your blood, Prince Lance." 

"How?" he asked warily. 

Zarkon's smiled turned into a feral grin as he showed them a photo of Allura. "This here is Allura of the Altean family. Her father is very rich and I know you need money. I can help you marry her so you could inherit her fortune and have your family accept you again." 

Lance eyed the small pendant again. "And all I need to do is give that thing a little blood?" 

Zarkon nodded and Lance slowly grabbed it. He immediately hissed in pain as it began to fill with his blood. Once it was full, the wind began to howl and the room began to shake. Lance looked alarmed as the winds picked him up and he slowly turned into a frog. When he was completely a frog, the winds died down and Lance was deposited onto the table. Zarkon looked on in glee as Sendak look slightly alarmed but also pleased. 

"Hey, what’s the big idea!" he yelled. 

Zarkon laughed sinisterly. "You fool, I was never going to let you marry Allura and keep the money to yourself. I want to watch the Altean family burn and control their fortune." 

He grabbed Lance and placed him into a jar. Then he turned to Sendak. "As for you.." 

Sendak crouched down in his seat and said nothing. "I'll reward you if you help me. I’ll give you... say, a quarter of their fortune. All you have to is put this on." 

Sendak stared at the pendant doubtfully. "Will that turn me into a frog too?" 

Zarkon merely grinned and said, "It won’t if you help me." 

Sendak quickly nodded his head and reached out for the pendant. He slipped it around his neck and he was transformed into a replica of Lance. Lance let out a gasp no one could hear from inside the jar as he watched this happen and Sendak stared at the mirror in shock. 

"Now here’s what we're going to do, Sendak." As Zarkon and Sendak began to plan their evil scheme, Lance found he could unscrew the cap of the jar. Carefully, he removed the lid and jumped out. As he was about to exit the door, he heard Zarkon shout. "Where did that slimy frog go!?" 

Lance chuckled to himself as he awkwardly ran away, not fully realizing how much trouble he was in.


	3. Never Trust A Talking Frog

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our two boys meet! But to their dismay things go wrong.

At last, the masquerade being held in Prince Lance's honor was being thrown and Keith was unbelievably busy serving everyone. He would have never guessed before tonight that his pastries were so delicious and so popular. 

He had just finished serving some guests when Allura walked up to him in her pink princess dress. "Hello Keith! How is it going, are people liking your pastries?" 

He grinned at her. "They are! Again, thank you so much for this Allura, not only am I able to see that people do like my food, I get to advertise my restaurant in advance too!" 

Allura grinned back at him. "That’s wonderful! It was no problem at all, silly! I’m just glad I could help." 

Keith served a few more guests before turning back to her. "So how's the ball going Allura? Did you meet Prince Lance yet?" 

She looked at him and replied haughtily, "In fact I have. And I’ll have you know he’s the perfect gentleman." 

She fanned herself and laughed dropping her act. "But in all seriousness, I have and I am ready to make him fall in love with me Keith! It’s time for my fairytale romance." 

Keith rolled his eyes but gave her a small smile. "You know I support you Allura. Even if I do think it’s kinda silly. But if it makes you happy, I’m happy." 

She smiled back at him and gave him a quick hug. "Well I’d better go! I want to make sure to impress him. Have fun Keith!" 

She ran off and Keith shook his head fondly at her. He served more guests until finally a certain part of guests caught his eye. "Mr. Smith and Mr. Johnson how are you?" 

They both looked a little uncomfortable but greeted him nonetheless. Keith made friendly conversation with them until he finally decided to tell them about his plans to purchase the building the day after tomorrow. "Mr. Smith, Mr. Johnson, I have exciting news." 

"O-oh you do?" stuttered Mr. Smith. "What is it?" 

Keith smiled widely at him and gleefully informed the two men of his plans. "After catering for this party, I will finally have enough to buy the building I was interested in." 

Mr. Johnson looked positively green and Mr. Smith's face went pale. Keith looked at the two of them and asked, "What’s wrong? After all this time, I’d think you two would be happy about someone finally purchasing that building." 

Mr. Smith took out his handkerchief and wiped his clammy face with shaking hands. "A-ah you see, Mr. Kogane, recently someone had approached us..." 

He faltered and Keith began to worry. "Go on..." 

"A-a man approached us and offered much more for the building then you currently have," Mr. Smith finally blurted out. 

"What?!" Keith practically shouted. "But I-I spent so long saving up. You two said it was fine as long as I paid all the money in full. And now you're telling me that you are just going to give the property to someone else?" 

Mr. Smith wiped his clammy face again with his handkerchief and shaky hands. "Well you see, he is offering us double what you are, and we both know that you can’t pay that much money." 

Keith spluttered; his mind was completely blank and he had no idea how to respond. He could not pay, that was true, but after all the work he had put into saving for the property, after everything, someone richer was just going to take it from him. 

"Not to mention someone of your ethnicity would have more trouble running a business then-" 

"What. Are. You. Saying." Keith gritted his teeth and tried to keep his temper in check. 

Mr. Smith’s face went even more pale and he stepped back a bit. "I-I just m-meant t-that since-" 

Keith slammed his hand on the table and glared at them. He was furious but was trying his hardest to not let it bubble over. After a moment of silence, Mr. Smith and Mr. Johnson left Keith to his rage. 

Keith was unbelievably angry. He could not think straight and he vision was blurring slightly. His attention was brought back to reality when Stella, Allura’s big dog, attempted to steal a pastry. Keith stopped her and in doing so got his suit covered in frosting and filling. Allura, being the wonderful friend she was, noticed immediately and came running towards him. "Keith, what happened?" 

He simply pointed at Stella running away from the table with a single pastry in her mouth. "Oh Stella, that bad dog! Here, come with me Keith, I can get you a newer and better suit in no time." 

He followed her numbly, his mind still stuck on the fact that he may lose one of the slim hopes he had for opening his own restaurant. They arrived at Allura’s bedroom, a room Keith had seen in his childhood too many times to count, and she sat him down in a chair. "Just stay right there! I’ll be back soon with a new suit for you so don’t even think about moving!" 

Keith did as she said and sat there until she returned a few minutes later with a dark red suit accented with a dark blue. "Ta-da! I hope you like it, I know your favorite color is red." 

He smiled weakly and thanked her. "Thank you Allura.." 

She finally looked at him straight on and noticed the numb look on his face. "Keith, is something wrong? You look upset." 

"I-" His voice got caught in his throat and his eyes began to water. He wiped at his eyes furiously and tried again. "I just found out ... that I might not be able to buy the property for my restaurant." 

Allura gasped. "What? But-but you've been saving for so long what happened?" 

Keith laughed bitterly, "Apparently someone richer than me has their eyes on the property." 

Allura looked furious. "After all this time, and they just decide last minute to give it to someone else? They promised that they would wait until you had the money!" 

"Yea but supposedly 'someone of my ethnicity would have more trouble running a business' than the supposed buyer." At this Allura looked enraged. She looked ready to go give Mr. Smith and Mr. Johnson a piece of her mind. In fact she stood up to leave but Keith grabbed her arm. 

"Allura, no. It's... it’s not worth it." He shook his head. He'd have to find another place to set up his restaurant. That was going to be a fun experience. 

She stared at him and Keith could see her intent to shake off his hand and go anyway, but at a pleading look she only sighed and sat down again. "Fine, if that is what you really want." 

"Thank you Allura.." He glanced at her dress. "Shouldn’t you get going? You have a prince to woo after all." 

She protested, "But Keith, what about you? I don’t want to leave you here to feel badly on your own." 

"I'll be fine Allura, you go have fun. I'll change and stay here for a bit to cool my anger and think up of a new way to start up my restaurant. I’m not giving up yet." 

Allura was still worried, but she could see in his eyes that he wanted to be alone for a little bit. She squeezed his arm and got up. "Well, if you say so Keith. But really if needed we'll just outbuy the new buyer. After everything, you deserve it." 

Keith rolled his eyes. "We are not doing that Allura. Now shoo." 

Allura sighed and shrugged. "Fine, fine, I’m going." 

When she finally left, Keith felt all his muscles relax. He loved Allura like a sister, but her strong personality could get on his nerves sometimes. 

After a few minutes, he got up and changed. He had to admit the suit looked nice on him and the colors were pretty. He sat down in front of Allura’s vanity and mused aloud about what he could do now. 

"Nothing, I suppose. There are no other real estate agents willing to wait for me to round up the money. Not to mention that their prices will be higher so it'll be even harder to save up the money." 

He felt his eyes tear up again and this time didn’t stop them from falling. He sat there and cried for a while, feeling relieved to finally be able to let out some of his feelings. 

When he was tired of crying, he glanced out the to the balcony and saw the brightest star right outside. He stood up on a whim and walked towards it slowly as if in a dream. When he reached the doors, he opened them and stood on the balcony watching the party go on below him. 

His eyes scanned the crowd and he saw Allura dancing with someone he would assume to be Prince Lance. He smiled, seeing that she was enjoying herself. 

He looked up again and found the brightest star in the night sky. He took a deep breath, unable to believe that he was doing this and began to talk. "Um, hello star. I don’t know how to do these things." 

He laughed awkwardly at himself and continued, "I normally don’t do this either. Wishing upon a star and what not. I always thought it was a bunch of bull. But I’m desperate right now. I-I want to open my own restaurant. It was my parents’ dream and their love of cooking was passed down to me and now it is also my dream. The only problem is.. I don’t have the money for it. I tried so hard to save money. At times even going hungry because I would take money from the food budget to save, always saying, 'Keith when you finally own your own restaurant skipping a few meals won’t matter.' Turns out it was just a waste." 

He laughed again, bitterly thinking about those times. "Ugh I’m rambling. I-I guess all I want is some way to earn the money for the property. I don’t want to rely on Allura’s family for it. They've already given me so much. So I would really appreciate some help." 

Keith gazed up into the sky and recalled that children generally shut their eyes while wishing. So he closed his eyes tightly and wished. For the first time in his life, he was wishing on a star and he had never wished for anything more strongly than he had now. 

When he slowly opened his eyes, he had no idea what to expect. What he certainly _didn't_ expect was to find a frog puckering its lips on the balcony ledge, clearly about to kiss him. 

Keith yelped and stumbled back. The frog opened its eyes and .. sighed? Keith ran inside but before he could shut the balcony doors, the frog had followed him in. Keith tried to gently grab the frog and let out a sigh of relief when the frog let himself be picked up willingly. He started moving towards the balcony doors slowly, hoping to not startle the frog. 

That plan went out the window when the frog opened its mouth and said, "Sooo are you gonna kiss me?" 

Keith let out an embarrassing scream and dropped the frog. He scrambled away from it and grabbed a pillow, ready to strike if needed. 

The frog sat up and put his hands up in what seemed to be a calming gesture. "Hey, hey, no need to freak out." 

Keith stared at the frog in shock. The frog stood up and started walking toward him, and that was when he snapped back to reality. 

"Back! Back! Get out onto the balcony! Go!" Keith yelled at the frog, hitting him with the pillow in the direction of the doors. 

The frog was not pleased. He even said so. "Hey relax! Come on, I’m not pleased with this either, cut me some slack!" 

Keith paid no mind to this and simply kept whacking him in the direction of the doors. The frog jumped out of the way onto the vanity and held out his hands. "Please! I’m begging you to listen to me! It’s important, I promise!" 

Keith stopped midway through a swing and eyed the frog suspiciously. "What could you possibly say that could be important to me?" 

"Look," began the frog, "I heard that you need money for a restaurant you wanna open. I can help you get that money." 

Keith held the pillow higher in a more threatening position. "And how do you know this?" 

If possible, the frog seemed to blush. "Well, ah, I heard you talking when you were out in the balcony." 

Keith brought down the pillow as hard as he could but the frog seemed to expect the blow as he moved out of the way. "Look! I wasn't spying on you or anything! I just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time." 

Keith was thinking of a response when it hit him. He was talking to a frog. A frog. And one that talked back. He must be going crazy. 

He dropped into the vanity chair and put his head into his hands. "I’m talking... to a frog. An actual frog." 

The frog scoffed, "I have a name you know." 

At this point, Keith was sure this was all a dream. A small smile was forming on his lips. This certainly was one heck of a dream. "Oh yea, Mr. Frog? And what name is that?" 

The frog got up on his hind legs and bowed to the best of his abilities. "I am Prince Lance McClain of Spain." 

"Ouch!" Keith yelped and rubbed his arm. He pinched himself again, harder this time. "Ouch!" 

The frog (who claimed to be named Lance) looked on in amusement. "This isn’t a dream, as much as I wish it was." 

Keith stared at him. "Ok 'Lance,' how can I know you're telling the truth about who you are. I mean, you are currently a frog."

Lance shrugged. "No way really, you'll just have to trust me." 

He stared at Lance in disbelief. "You want me to trust you ? A literal frog?" 

Lance shrugged again. "Well, I figured a prince like yourself would be able to help me out. See, I was cursed, so now I need a prince or princess to kiss me to reverse it. Like that kids’ story." 

"That-that can’t be true. You cannot be dumb enough to mess around with voodoo. Plus, that story had so many plot holes. None if it made any real sense. Why did a kiss turn the frog prince back? Why was getting someone’s ring for someone considered learning to be selfless? These are the real questions, Lance, and they need to be answered." 

Lance stared at him. "I have never heard someone question the reasoning behind a fairytale. And you wanna know why? Because it’s a story: there’s no need to psychoanalyze it, Whatever-Your-Name-Is." 

Keith flushed. "My name is Keith. But still, it doesn’t add up. Sorry for seeing the flaws in the story." 

"No need to apologize Keith. We all get nervous in front of royalty," he replied haughtily. 

"Ok you definitely have the snobby attitude of royalty," Keith snapped. 

Lance rolled his eyes. "Look, I need a prince or a princess to kiss me so the curse will be broken, you're the first prince/princess I’ve found and you need money which, for me, is easy to get, so will you just kiss me already?" 

Keith spluttered. "I-I'm not gonna kiss a frog! There are so many things wrong with that on so many levels. I could get an illness, and you’re all slimy, and the list could continue for the longest time but I’ll spare you the details." 

Lance flopped onto his back groaning. "Oh come on! I’m not even a real frog! If you kiss me, I turn into a handsome prince. Not to mention, you need the money, and I can get you money! As much as you want, all for one lousy kiss." 

"See, that’s the problem there, your highness," Keith sneered. "How do I know I can trust you ? Even if you are a prince, how can I be sure you'll pay me what you said you will? And again, you might not even be royalty!" 

Lance groaned again. "Are you really still hung up on that one detail? Even if I’m not royalty, I’m rich! Why else would someone curse me? They were after my money, duhh." 

Keith thought that over. If he was being honest, the frog’s words did make some sense. Poor people wouldn’t get cursed for no reason; the rich and powerful would. With people constantly after their power and money, it is no real surprise. 

But still... Keith couldn’t get over the fact that it was a frog. All these years ago, he had said it himself: kissing a frog to break a curse was not only dumb, it was also disgusting. If anything, the only thing holding him _back_ would be the fact that Lance was a frog. For Keith, a kiss wasn’t a big deal. But kissing a frog? No way in hell, it was beyond weird. Plus frogs were gro- 

Wait a minute. "Lance." 

"Yea Keith?" 

"Didn't you say you were the prince of Spain, that Lance?" 

"Yep that’s me, prince of Spain and all that, it’s not as great as it se-" 

Keith grabbed Lance by his hind legs and marched out to the balcony again. "If you're Lance, then who's he!?" 

Keith pointed at Allura's dance partner, the supposed Prince Lance. 

"What the hell?! Let me go Keith, let me go! I can’t see that well upside down." 

Keith obliged and let him drop onto the balcony ledge. Lance hopped closer to the party and stared intensely at Allura and 'Prince Lance'. 

"Aw hell. It’s Sendak." 

"Sendak? Who the hell is that ?"

"He's- he was my valet. We meet some guy named Zarkon, I think, who managed to get him to betray me." 

"Wait, Zarkon did this to you?" 

"Well he said he name was Zarkon; why?" 

"Zarkon tried to kill the head of the Altean family many years ago. He almost succeeded too but luckily Alfor, Allura's father, survived." 

"Oh yea, I think he mentioned something about watching the Altean family burn. It was part of his master plan or something.” 

"W-what? Why didn't you say so? This is serious, this means Alluras in danger." 

Keith rushed inside and set Lance down on the table. He took a deep breath and looked Lance in the eye. "I’m going to kiss you, but only for Allura’s safety." 

"And the money," he whispered quickly under his breath. "So when you change back, you need to go to Alfor and tell him everything you know ok?" 

Lance stood up eagerly, "Yes, it’s a deal! Thank god, finally this curse will be broken by the prince!" 

Keith looked at him and nearly shuddered. Kissing a frog? It was so horrible to think of that he might just back out. 

But Keith thought of Allura and how her father was in danger. He didn’t want her to go through that pain. The pain of losing your parents. It was nearly overwhelming and Keith would do anything to prevent that happening to her. 

Even... even kissing a frog. 

Keith looked over at Lance who somehow got his hands on one of Allura’s chapsticks. He applied some onto his lips and looked over at Keith. "Ready?" 

Keith shuddered again but nodded. He picked Lance up and slowly started bringing him towards his lips. Lance got closer.. and closer.. and closer.. until finally... Keith dropped him on the vanity. 

"I can’t do it. I can’t do it! It’s gross and nasty." He placed his head in his hands and groaned. 

Lance looked offended. "What do you mean, ‘it’s gross and nasty?’ I'll have you know I’m a good kisser and being a frog won’t change that." 

Keith groaned again. "I don’t care if you're a good kisser or not. It’s the fact that you’re a frog. A frog for Christ’s sake! And you just.. expect me to kiss you!" 

"I thought you were doing this for your friend," Lance pointed out. 

"I am! I mean I will. I just--" Keith couldn’t finish that sentence. It was just too much for one day. He didn’t think he could take it. Everything was just so hectic. 

Lance sighed. "Fine, you can’t do it. I’ll have to find someone else. See ya later, Keith." 

"No!" Keith shouted, "You can’t! I need to know what Zarkon is planning. Allura could be in trouble." 

Lance sighed, "Look Keith, right now my first priority is being turned back into a human. So if you want the information, you’ll have to kiss me. There is no way around this." 

Keith was hit with a million different emotions. He couldn't think straight, but one thought kept running through his mind: protect Allura, protect Allura, protect Allura. It was like a chant. He realized that Lance was right. The only way to protect Allura would be to kiss him for information on Zarkon's plans. 

With that in mind, he steeled his determination and picked Lance up. "Let’s do this." 

Lance sighed, "Finally, jeez. It took you long enough." 

Keith ignored him and brought him closer and closer. Slowly Keith's brain turned off until the only thought he had was about why he was doing this. It was for Allura and his restaurant, Allura and his restaurant, Allura and his restaurant. 

He kept that chant going in his head so when he finally felt lips press against his, he didn’t react as strongly as he would have. He pulled away quickly however and looked at Lance.  
.  
.  
.  
.  
Nothing was happening. Lance was still a frog and was still sitting in his hands. Lance opened his eyes and looked around. "Did it work? I don’t feel any different." 

Keith’s voice was still stuck in his throat, so he just placed Lance in front of a mirror. When Lance turned around and saw that he was still a frog, he shrieked. "No! No no no! This isn't supposed to happen!" 

He spun around and looked at Keith. "Kiss me again! Maybe you did it wrong." 

Finally finding his voice, Keith snapped back at him. "How do you kiss someone wrong, Lance?" 

"I don’t know! But you managed to do it! Just kiss me again ok? Maybe we have to kiss multiple times." 

So begrudgingly, Keith picked Lance up and kissed him. Again. And again. But nothing happened, until finally they tried one more time and  
.  
.  
.  
.  
.  
.  
.  
.  
Keith turned into a frog.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And finally the plot gets kickstarted !


	4. Being a Frog Isn't Much Fun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and Lance discover that being a frog isn't fun, but make a new friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys like this chapter ! I personally had fun writing most of it haha.

"How could this happen?! Lance you said kissing someone would break the curse not placed the curse on me too!" Keith seethed. 

"I said kissing a prince/princess would fix it! So you aren't a prince?" 

"I never said i was a prince! How come you didn't say anything!" 

"I did! And you never said you weren't a prince so i just assumed!" 

"Oh my god what are we gonna do now? Alluras still in danger and now we're both frogs! This could not have gone worse than it already has gone." 

"Well we could have died."

"Don't. Even. Go. There. " 

"Ok ok! Jeez Keith cool it down. There's nothing we can do now. We're frogs we gotta accept that." 

"Maybe i don't want to accept that Lance! Maybe i want to be a human! Because frogs can't open up their own restaurants!" 

At this point Keith was outright yelling at Lance unable to properly deal with everything after this new development. He let his anger get the best of him and he snapped. 

"This is your fault Lance!" 

"How is this my fault?!" 

"You! Are the one who got cursed. You! Are the one who decided kissing me was the answer. You! Are the one who said 'Maybe we have to kiss multiple times'! How is this not your fault!" 

"Well sorry for getting cursed Keith! Next time a random man tries to turn me into a frog i'll just tell him 'Sorry you can't do that it's not allowed'. I'm sure that'll work perfectly!" 

"Well why did you meet up with him anyways! Do you usually follow strangers or was this just a curse and run kinda deal?" 

Lance closed his eyes and sighed. "Look arguing isn't going to help ok? I'm tired and i'm pretty sure you're tired so let's just go to sleep or something? We can figure out what to do in the morning." 

Keith scoffed, "Sleep? Where! If case you haven't noticed we're in the room of a very rich girl. If we get caught in here we'll get thrown out, or worse killed. So tell me Lance, where exactly are we going to sleep?" 

Lanced thought about for a moment and then snapped his fingers (or tried to), "The balcony!" 

"What?" 

"We can sleep on the balcony!" Lance proclaimed. "We'll blend in with the green leaves and vines plus no one's going to go look for frogs on a balcony!" 

Keith hated to admit it but it wasn't that bad of a plan, except for one thing, "It is super cold out there. Have you ever been outside in New Orleans during the night? It gets unbelievably cold." 

Lance shot him a smirk, "We could cuddle." 

Keith snorted, "In your dreams maybe. Are you this flirty with everybody?" 

He shrugged, "I guess, it just comes naturally to me. Like my beauty." 

Keith rolled his eyes, "Sure. The balcony is the only option we have though so i guess we suffer through the cold." 

"Sounds good to me!" Lance strolled outside and hopped on to the balcony ledge. He whistled, "The party is still going on strong! Man that looks wild." 

Keith hopped up next to him and shrugged, "You get use to it after years and years of the same thing. You think this is wild? Wait until Mardi Gras, that's when it really gets crazy." 

"And how would you know Mr. Stick in the mud?" Lance teased. 

Keith rolled his eyes, "Everyone who lives in this city has taken part of Mardi Gras at some point in their life. And if they haven't yet for whatever reason; to young, got sick, etc they will at some point trust me." 

"Sounds like a good time to me!" 

"That's what you say at the beginning but the next day at three in the afternoon when you're barely waking up with a splitting headache and a killer hangover you'll be wishing no one ever came up with that stupid festival. " 

"You sound like you speak from experience." 

Keith laughed, "I do and let me tell you, Mardi Gras is fun, the day after Mardi Gras feels like you've died and went to hell." 

"That definitely sounds like something id enjoy. If we get back to normal you'd better show me the best places to get drunk ok Keith?" 

Keith laughed harder at the thought of Lance stumbling around drunk, "I will, p-promise." 

"Then its a deal Keith! I can't wait to get shitfaced drunk with you." 

"Right back at you Lance." Keith yawned and he realized how taxing this day was. "Well since we're stuck here and i am super tired, i'm going to go to bed. Goodnight Lance." 

"Goodnight Keith don't let Zarkon get you." 

"...." 

"Too far?" 

"Way too far." 

"..Sorry. Sleep well Keith." 

Keith grabbed a bunch of leaves and made them into a makeshift bed. After making sure he wouldn't accidentally fall of during his sleep he laid down and looked at the stars. And then he noticed that the brightest star seemed to be shining just a little brighter. Taking that as a good sign Keith let the sounds of the party lull him to sleep. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lance sadly watched the party go on beneath him. He watched Sendak dance with Allura and make her laugh. If he told the truth he was a little jealous of Sendak. He had actually wanted to marry Allura. She seemed like a kind, sweet girl and that was ignoring the fact that she had money. He just wished he had never fallen for Zarkons tricks. 

But... He glanced over at Keith who was already asleep. Being with Keith didn't seem like it was going to be that bad. Keith didn't seem to have any problems with treating him like a normal person unlike the others who always tiptoed around him. Although, Lance noted with some amusement, Keith didn't really believe that Lance was royalty. 

But if promises of getting shitfaced drunk during Mardi Gras was what he got out of this. Lance figured he didn't mind. Either way this was sure to be an adventure and hopefully it would be one he would enjoy. 

Lance fell asleep gazing at the stars and noticing how different they were here compared to the ones in Spain. He found he didn't mind though. It made him feel free from his controlling parents. It made him feel like he was a person again. Not a list of expectations like he was back at home. And he found that somethings, somethings might be meant to be. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In the morning Keith woke up first feeling more tired than he ever had. Waking up outside however was definitely more alarming. 

Keith bolted upright and looked around his surroundings. It wasn't until he looked down at himself that he remembered what had happened last night and with a groan he laid down again and looked up into an impossibly blue sky. 

It was them that Lance decided to wake up. But of course with Lance nothing could ever be easy so he nearly fell off of the balcony. 

After that scare they both decided that getting out of the mansion and somehow finding a way to break the curse other than a kiss would be the best course of action. 

And of course things never go as planned. While climbing down the balcony to reach the ground Keith was blown off by a strong wind and Lance, being the idiot that he is, let go and was blown away with him. They landed near the edge of the property and could have made it away from the bayou but of course they just so happened to have run into some alligators. 

"Uh hello." Keith pasted a strained smile onto his face. "How are you all doing?" 

The alligators smiled viciously and started closing in on them. 

"Good good." Keith squeaked. Suddenly he had an idea. He let out a dramatic gasp and turned to one of the alligators farther away from the leader. "Did you just say he's ugly!?" 

All the alligators paused as Keith once again let out a dramatic gasp, "And now you're calling his mother fat?!" 

Keith turned to the leader and exclaimed in mock outrage, "Are you just going to let him say those things!?" 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I still can't believe you convinced that alligator that the other one called his mother fat" laughed Lance. 

Keith couldn't help but smile. "Allura is very hard to lie to, so i learned to lie well at a young age. You wouldn't believe the amount of pranks i pulled on her when we were young." 

Of course he left out the part where Allura would prank him back just as cleverly. What Lance didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

"But seriously Keith, did you see the look on his face? It was priceless, he looked like someone had just slapped him." Lance burst out laughing again and Keith couldn't help but laugh along.

"It was pretty funny." He admitted. 

"Funny? Keith that was hilarious! No matter what happens i will never forget that moment." Lance gave him a very serious look before laughing again. 

"Maybe but you actually starting the fight by pulling that alligator's tail was pure genius. How'd you ever come up with a plan like that?" 

"When you live with 5 other siblings you definitely learn the easiest ways to start a fight. And sometime you gotta learn the hard way." 

"Sounds like you speak from experience." Teased Keith. 

Lance let out a giggle, "One time i tugged on the tail of a stuffed animal that belonged to one of my older siblings thinking it was a piece of their clothes and i shit you not, he turned around and smacked me so fast it took ten seconds for everyone to process what had happened. And mind you this was in public so all these people just stared at us while our parents gave us a lecture." 

"Oh my god, that must have been so embarrassing." Keith laughed uncontrollably at the thought. 

"You're telling me, i was only seven and i thought i was going to actually die of embarrassment." 

At that Keith laughed harder and Lance fake pouted. "Don't be mean that was a very bad childhood memory." 

But his fake pout only caused Keith to laugh harder which made Lance laugh too. 

"God damn it Keith," he giggled, "I was trying to open up to you." 

"You can't tell a story like that and think that no one going to laugh." Keith pointed out 

Lance sighed dramatically, "Alas you are correct. What a fool i've been." 

Keith just shook his head. Suddenly he heard a noise. "Lance did you hear that?" 

Lance was instantly alert too. "From where?" 

"Your side i think. It sounded like a trumpet?" Keith said puzzled. 

"Are you sure? Who would have a trumpet out here? Hell who would be out here! " 

"Lance hush. I don't know but i know i heard a sound." 

They both quieter down and sure enough there was noises coming from the left side of the river. It sounded like rustling leaves and .. a trumpet. 

"What the hell that is a trumpet!" Whispered Lance 

"See i told you i heard something" Keith whispered back. 

"Yea yea you were right i was wrong now hush." 

They quieted down again and the sounds seemed to be coming closer and closer. When it sounded like they were right next to the river they held their breaths and hoped whoever was playing the trumpet would leave. Much to their dismay they didn't leave. However they did stop playing the trumpet which didn't help since any sound they made would be easier to hear. 

When the bushes right next the river started shaking Lance and Keith exchanged glances and said their nonverbal goodbyes. The creature finally burst through the bushes. And to Lances and Keith's horror it turned out to be an alligator. 

At the sight of the alligator Keith let out a long string of curses. Lance leaned over and whispered "I didn't know you had it in you, Keith, I’m very proud."

"Shut it!" Keith hissed, "He might hear us."

With how things were going it would be a miracle if they weren't spotted. Of course it was to much to ask for and the alligator looked right at them. 

"Oh my gosh are those a pair of frogs?!" The alligator exclaimed. 

Keith and Lance gave each other a look of surprise. He sounded... worried? 

"I'll save you two hold on !" With that the alligator jumped into the river and began swimming towards them. 

Keith was, appropriately, panicking but when he looked over to Lance he noticed that he was not scared at all. "Lance why aren't you panicking?!" 

Lance shrugged and calmly replied, "He said he was gonna 'save' us. Plus i feel like we can trust him." 

"Lance..." Keith said this very slowly, "he's an alligator! What do you mean you trust him?!" 

"Dude chill he's not gonna hurt us. He said so himself." Lance rolled his eyes as if this was obvious. 

"Oh my god, I'm gonna die and you're being an idiot about it. Holy shit I can't believe this, I'm gonna die on a log in a river in the middle of the _bayou_ and you are being an idiot." Lance looked vaguely alarmed at what Keith just said. 

"Whoa Keith calm down we aren't gonna die. We got away from a whole pack of alligators i think we can handle just one." 

As he said this the alligator reached their log and scooped them up. They both let out a yelp of surprise and hung on to each other so they wouldn't fall off the alligator's palm. 

When they reached the shore the apparently friendly alligator put them down gently. 

"Are you two alright?" He asked. 

Lance was the first to recover and he flashed him a grin. "Yea we're just fine. Right Keith?" 

"Right.." muttered Keith halfheartedly. 

"Oh what a relief. You guys had me worried there." He laughed and suddenly he stopped. "Oh i'm so rude. My name is Hunk, nice to meet both of you!" 

He offered his hand to Lance. Without hesitation Lance grabbed it and shook it with excitement. "Nice to meet you Hunk! I'm Prince Lance of Spain and this here is Keith." 

"Hello." Murmured Keith with an awkward wave. Hunk enthusiastically grabbed his hand and shook it. 

Suddenly Keith remembered the trumpet they had heard earlier. 

"Hey Hunk?" He asked. 

"Yea Keith?" 

"You wouldn't happen to have a trumpet with you would you?" 

Hunk grinned. "I sure do! This here's my pride and joy." 

He showed them the trumpet he held in his other hand. "It's my dream to play in a restaurant but alas being an alligator i'm not sure that's ever gonna happen." 

Lance patted his back reassuringly, "I'm sure your dream will come true one day." 

"Um excuse me," Keith interrupted their moment, "Hunk we've been cursed to turn into frogs. Do you know of anyway we could turn back?" 

Hunk slouched and his tail wrapped around his body like he was attempting to comfort himself. "W-well Mama Pidge is the witch of the bayou so they could probably help." 

Keith noticed Hunk's nervousness but decided to ignore it in favor of celebrating the good news. "Wonderful! So can you take us to them? Preferably right now?" 

Hearing this Hunk stood as straight as a pole and froze up, shaking his head wildly. "No way, nuh-uh, not happening." 

Lance and Keith shared a look of concern before approaching Hunk. Lance patted his back and shrugged at Keith. Hesitantly Keith asked what was wrong. 

Hunk's demeanor changed once again. He went from nervous to embarrassed. "Mama Pidge ...." 

His voice trailed off and he shifted. His voice dropped to a whisper. "Mama Pidge is super scary." 

Keith had never been very good at reassuring people so he felt like a fish out of water. He stared at Hunk trying to figure out how to be comforting. 

Lance noticed Keith's discomfort and rolled his eyes. "Hey man don't worry about it. We're all scared of something. I'm scared of something, Keithy boy here--" 

"Don't call me 'Keithy boy'." Keith interrupted. "It sounds stupid." 

Lance sighed in annoyance. "Fine, _Keith_ is scared of something, and you are scared of something. It's not that big of a deal bro." 

"Y-yea i guess." Hunk shrugged and avoided their eyes. 

"Why do they scare you Hunk?" Asked Keith genuinely curious about this 'Mama Pidge'. 

"They're the witch of the bayou, and they know all sorts of things about voodoo and such. My momma didn't raise a fool, I know better than to mess with that." Hunk then walked over to a nearby tree and sat down by the trunk. "And that is why I'm not going." 

"What!? But- Lance and I- We ne--" Keith was cut off by Lance's hand being placed over his lips. Lance gave him a small smirk and slowly walked towards Hunk. 

When he was close enough he leaned against the tree trunk and cleared his throat. "So Hunk, nothing’s gonna change your mind? There is no possible way to convince you to come with us?" 

Hunk shook his head, "Nothing in the entire universe will convince me." 

Lance shrugged. "Then I guess telling you Mama Pidge could have turned you human won't work. Ah well that's too bad. Come on Keith lets go." 

He grabbed Keith and began to walk away. Keith was bewildered but Lance seemed confident in what he was doing so he followed him without complaint. When they were about two feet away Lance held up three fingers and slowly counted down. Right after he put down the last finger Keith heard: 

"Wait! Guys! Wait up!" 

Lance turned around and gave Keith a wide grin before facing Hunk. "Do you really think Mama Pidge can turn me human?!" 

"Of course they can! If they can turn me and Keith into humans then they can definitely help you too!" Lance glanced over and smiled. Keith was taken aback, this wasn't one of his cocky smiles but an actual honest to god smile. 

"Well then I'll show you guys the way! Just follow me, we'll be there in no time!" 

Grinning once more Lance hopped onto Hunk's shoulders and pointed into the distance dramatically. "Onwards, on the trail we blaze!" 

Lance jumped off his shoulders and he two of them burst into giggles. Keith rolled his eyes fondly even though he didn't know what was so funny. Hunk led the way, happily playing his trumpet. While Keith and Lance trailed behind him talking and laughing.


	5. In Which Things Go Wrong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just like the title said, things go wrong

Allura fanned herself, gazing happily at 'Prince Lance'. He awkwardly smiled at her and looked away. 

"So Prince Lance how has your visit been so far?" 

"Its been good." Sendak prayed that this woud be over soon. 

"Why how wonderful! I’m sure-" Allura suddenly stopped, "U-uh Lance your... ear." 

Sendak felt his ear and noticed that it was reverting back to it's normal state. He clamped his hand over it and forced himself to laugh. "It's... nothing, dear. Don’t worry about it." 

Allura laughed as well and stood up to look over at the bayou. "Well I’m glad you accepted my invitation to lunch. The bayou looks amazing at this time of year." 

“It really is, isn’t it?” Sendak chuckled awkwardly, his hand still clamped over his ear. Suddenly he felt the suit tighten. His body was reverting back to normal. 

He hid partially behind the table as Allura turned back to him. She didn’t look at him though as she paced around the gazebo they were in. “Oh Lance I simply adore all the flowers that bloom this time of year. They’re absolutely gorgeous.” 

Sendak hummed in agreement before feeling his face returning to its normal shape and panicking. He grabbed Allura’s legs, buried his face into the fabrication of her dress and exclaimed, "A-Allura would you do me the honor of marrying me and becoming Princess Allura of Spain." 

"Would I ever! Oh of course I'll marry you!" She exclaimed happily. 

Allura turned back around and hugged him tight, burying her face into his chest. "Oh what am I doing! There is so much to plan!" 

She let go and turned around. She moved away as Sendak kept transforming back to normal, “I have to plan our outfits, the theme, what type of flowers we're going to have. I have get going!" 

As she turned around once more Sendak grabbed a bunch of nearby flowers and hid his face in them. Allura took them with a thanks and a goodbye and ran off to inform her father of the good news. 

Sendak sighed with relief and began to head back to Zarkon’s base. He knew that the spell was going to wear off completely in a matter of seconds and they needed more blood from Lance. How they were going to get more blood however, was a mystery he couldnt figure out. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After hearing the news from Sendak, Zarkon was not pleased. He had believed that the blood would last longer then it did. Because if this oversight he’d need to dig himself into a deeper debt with his.. friends. 

“Friends!” He began warmly, “Because of a mistake, that I assure you will have no affect on the outcomes of our plans, I need another favor. Prince Lance has escaped and I need your help getting him back. 

Now I know what you are thinking. You have given so much already, when will I deliver on my promises? I can guarantee you that as soon as I take out Alfor I will have to enormous city of New Orleans in the palm of my hand. You will have all the wayward souls your black hearts desire. Sound good?” 

In lieu of a response the mouth of the biggest mask opened, releasing what looked like a small hoard of black shadows. When the shadows settled they took the forms of various demonic entities. Zarkon looked around with a sinister smile and saw his smile reflected in the faces of the shadow monsters that surrounded him. “Now we’re talking. We have a frog to catch boys, let’s go get him.” 

With an evil laugh the dark spirits took off, all of them spreading over the city and through the bayou. Each of them hunting down one unlucky frog

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Lance felt him stomach rumble. From the looks Keith and Hunk gave him they heard it too. “What? I haven’t eaten since this morning. Since Zarkon turned me into a frog?” 

 

Hunk nodded along sympathetically but Keith just rolled his eyes. “It’s your own damn fault you got turned into a frog, so hush and keep moving.” 

Lance grumbled in response but speed up. However when a small swarm of flies past by his stomach rumbled again. He interestedly hopped after them and subconsciously flicked his tongue in their direction. Surprised at this new development Lance yelped.

When Keith heard the noise he looked up to see Lance trying, and failing, to catch some flies with his tongue. He couldn’t help but laugh as Lance made a fool out of himself, hopping around and trying desperately to caught a fly. Keith’s laughter was cut short as a stray fly flew past him and his tongue decided to chase after it. 

“Oh hell no,” Keith said to himself. “I am not kissing a frog and eating a bug on the same day.” 

Unbidden his tongue decided differently and attempted to catch another fly. Keith made a strangled noise of shock as his tongue continued to chase flies. Finally Keith decided that he might as well, it didn’t see like his tongue would stop anyway. 

He laughed again as he let his inhibitions go and chased around flies with Lance. Lance grinned at him when he saw Keith hopping around with him. They had fun until they both aimed at the same fly and somehow managed to get their tongues tied together. 

“What the hell Lance!” Keith exclaimed, his words were a little slurred. 

“It wasn’t my fault,” Lance sulked. “Why are you blaming me?” 

“You’re the one who decided to go around chasing flies!” 

“I didn’t force you to do the same thing! We’re both at fault here.” 

The two continued to bicker until Hunk caught up with them. “Hey guys look —“ 

He stopped short at the sight of them, “Oh you two got all tangled up. Here let me help.” 

He picked the two up as they protested. “No Hunk, buddy we got this.” 

“Hunk really you don’t have to.” 

Ignoring their protests Hunk attempted to untangle then but squishing the two together and twisting them into different positions. Finally he put them down. “There! How does that feel?” 

Keith and Lance were tangled up worse than before. They could hardly move their bodies at all and Lance was the only one who could actually stand. 

“Well,” Lance started, trying to be optimistic, “I feel a little better.” 

Hunk stared at them contemplatively before snapping. “You know what y’all need? A sharp stick! Be right back.” 

He rushed off leaving Keith and Lance alone, still hopeless tangled up. The pair stood there, starring at where Hunk had been standing moments before until a firefly made its way over to them. 

“Whoa lovebirds, out in public? How scandalous.” Said the firefly. 

“Wha? No you goth it all wong!” Keith tried to exclaimed but it wasn’t very understandable. 

The firefly merely laughed, “Don’t you worry, I’ll get you untangled from your boyfriend soon.” 

“I’m noth hith boyfren!” Lance cried just as Keith said “Were noth dathing!” 

Ignoring their cries the firefly got to work untangling them as Keith and Lance looked at each other awkwardly. Finally, while humming a tune, he tugged hard at one of their tongues and smiled at they untangled themselves from the heap of frog and tongue they landed in.

“My name is Shirogane but you can call me Shiro. Everyone does,” Shiro said cheerfully. 

Keith brushed himself off before replying. “I’m Keith and that dunderhead is Lance.”

Lance made an offended noise as Shiro asked, “What are you two doing in this part of the bayou?” 

“We’re trying to get to Mama Pidge. We need their help, we heard they can turn us back into humans.” 

“Mama Pidge? I know Mama Pidge,” Shiro grinned, “They like to pretend that they’re tough and collected but they’re actually a big softie.” 

“My younger sister is exactly like that,” Lance giggled. 

Lance and Shiro shared a knowing smile before Shiro said, “Wait a minute, you’re going in the wrong direction if you want to see Mama Pidge.” 

“We are?!” Keith looked around for Hunk forgetting that he wasn’t with them. Lance seemed to do the same before groaning and flopping onto the ground. 

“Really? All that walking and it turns out we’re going in the wrong direction? Life really does hate me.” Lance moaned from his position on the floor. 

“Don’t be such a drama queen, we just need to find Hunk and then we can go the right way. I’m sure Shiro would help us out.” Keith looked at Shiro questioningly. 

Shiro smiled, “Of course, I’m always willing to help someone in need.” 

Keith and Lance both let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you Shiro we can’t begin to tell you how much that means to us.” 

“Seriously,” Lance added, “We’d be goners without your help.” 

“Oh I’m sure that isn’t true.” Shiro said humbly. “Who in the world told you that this was the way to Mama Pidge’s though?” 

Just then out of nowhere Hunk appeared from the between the trees. “Guys! I found a sharp stick!” 

He stopped short when he saw the three of them looking at him expectantly. His grin froze on his face and slowly slid off when Keith angrily said, “Hunk, Shiro here says that’s we’re going in the opposite direction from Mama Pidge. Care to explain?” 

Hunk dropped the stick he was carrying and fiddled with his tail nervously. “You see...” 

“I... uh.. I got confused,” he stuttered out, “you know with the I’m geology and the geography and...” 

Lance hopped up to him and placed his hand over Hunks. “Hunk we know you’re very smart, so we know you were leading us in the wrong direction on purpose. We’re not mad but could you please tell us why?” 

Hunk looked sadly at Lance and finally sighed aster a few moments. “Mama Pidge is scary! They work with all kinds of magic and I don’t know if I want to get mixed up in something like that. It could be really dangerous.” 

Lance nodded and patted his hand. Before Lance could respond Shiro cut in, “Mama Pidge? Scary? I know they work will all kinds of magic but I promise you Mama Pidge isn’t scary. They just like to act tough.” 

 

Hunk perked up at his words, “Really?” 

Shiro smiled, “Yes really, they’re actually very kind too. And I know that they’ll help you out with whatever you all need.” 

“I’m sorry about lying to you guys,” Hunk said abashed. 

Keith couldn’t help but give Hunk a reassuring smile, he wasn’t the type of person you could stay mad at. “We forgive you Hunk, you didn’t mean any harm. Just... don’t do it again please.” 

“Of course not!” Hunk crosses his heart, “I swear I’ll be truthful from now on. I’ll never tell y’all another lie.” 

Lance grinned at him, “We appreciate it Hunk. Now let’s get going. I want to have my normal body back.” 

“For once,” Keith snorted, “I agree with you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _shows up a year late with Starbucks_  
>  What’m the heck is up y’all


End file.
